Skip to main content
  • Accessibility
  • Headlines
  • Coronavirus-News
  • Get-Hooked
  • Technology
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Parasports
  • Ask Bhavna
  • NHBrandView
  • Independent Living
  • Lifestyle
  • NH Videos
×
Newz Hook – Changing Attitudes towards Disability Logo
  • Stories
  • Videos
  • Inclusive
  • NH Voice
  • Login
COVID-19 Notification by Government in Accessible Format

Accessibility Tools

Text Size:

Contrast Scheme:

  • C
  • C

Reset

  • Home
  • Get-hooked
  • Driving change in attitudes towards disability in Jammu-Kashmir – My Take by Dildar Ahmad Shapoo

Driving change in attitudes towards disability in Jammu-Kashmir – My Take by Dildar Ahmad Shapoo

Get-hooked June 25, 2019
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
0

When an injury sustained during a playful fight with his friend left him bed-ridden, life changed dramatically for Dildar Ahmad Shapoo. But he refused to let that get him down for long. Hear him tell his inspiring story on My Take.

On 5 September 1996, I was joking around with a good friend of mine when he pulled my hand in fun. It was just a playful gesture but I fell down backwards with a cry. My lower part became immobile.

I lived in a town in south Kashmir and after several hours I was taken to a hospital in Srinagar. After a month, doctors said I had sustained a spinal cord injury and would never walk again. I was 18 years old at the time, the eldest child, and my mother was a widow. I was also the sole breadwinner for my family.

That freak incident changed my life. For eight years I did not step out of my home and watched helplessly as my mother and younger brother struggled to make ends meet. There were no rehabilitation centres in Kashmir at the time and we had no information on what to do to deal with this. My family did the best it could, even putting the money together for a trip to Chandigarh for treatment. Nothing helped and I was confined to a bed in a room in my house.

My situation hit me hard when I got a bed sore and the doctor prescribed an ointment that cost Rs 2. I had to borrow that small amount from a friend. That’s when I decided I had to do something. I took a loan from the bank, put the down payment on a truck and started a transport company with a friend. It wasn’t easy and there ups and downs.

Travelling Samaritan

Over time I felt the need to connect with more people like me. I wanted to travel and meet people and motivate them. So I asked a Pune-based company to customise a car which I drove across India to promote the activities of the Spinal Foundation of India in 2015. Every day I would drive 500 kilometres to reach out to wheelchair users across the country, speaking at schools and NGOs. I saw how inaccessible India was for people with disabilities so a lot of my talks were about staying mentally strong and overcoming the many barriers we face.

The trip gave me a lot of confidence because I saw so many people like me. It motivated me to start an organisation with two of my friend who have spinal cord injuries. It is called Concerned About Rehabilitation & Empowerment – CARE, and the name says it all. The first project we will undertake after registering CARE is to build a rehabilitation home for disabled people so they can live happy, prosperous, and healthy lives.

We are currently in the midst of collecting information to create a database of people with spinal cord injuries in Jammu and Kashmir. Another project close to my heart is a story I have written which makes for a perfect Bollywood script. A love story, it is set in Kashmir of the nineties when the state was witnessing turbulence. If the script is bought, I will use the money towards the rehab project.

I am also in touch with many international organisations in my quest to ensure that people with disabilities in Kashmir are able to lead a life of dignity.

After much struggle, I have found purpose in my life and I want to empower others with disabilities. My only regret is that my mother passed away of cancer before she saw me like this.

Watch in Sign Language

0

Support us to make NewzHook Sustainable – Make a Contribution Today

We need your continued support to enable us work towards Changing Attitudes towards Disability. Help us in our attempt to share the voices of people with disabilities that enable them to participate in the society on an equal footing!

Contribute to Newz Hook

NH Videos

Healing pain through art - Dr. Anubha Mahajan, Founder Chronic Pain India

Read more on Newz Hook

  • Technology
    Game-based platform ScreenPlay helps identify kids at risk of developmental disorders early
  • Employment
    Autism at work – Best practices that help companies integrate inclusion with business development goals

Contribue to Newz Hook. Support us to make NewzHook Sustainable – Make a Contribution Today.

Newsletter

 Subscribe to our Newsletter

Want to feature your inspiring story or share an event with the disabled community? Write to:

editor@newzhook.com

Related News

Image of Amrit Khurana with 2 paintings

Get-hooked

Amrit Khurana, young artist with autism, finds her new canvas in sarees

Close up of Lachi

Get-hooked

Singer-songwriter Lachi documents journey to total vision loss on YouTube series Off Beat

Images of the 10 YouTubers featured

Get-hooked

Check out these 10 YouTubers on the autism spectrum spreading awareness about the condition

Group of people with their hands on top of each others

Employment

Autism at work – Best practices that help companies integrate inclusion with business development goals

Newz Hook - Accessible News

Download App Now!

Videos

View More

Coronavirus-news

Kerala parent support group TogetherWeCan’s series ‘Speak Up’ addresses mental health

Get-hooked

Check out 20-year-old Vinamra Arolkkar's skills on his YouTube channel 'The Special Cook'

Get-hooked

#ChampionswithCP - Every barrier is a reason to strive harder for Dr Riitesh Sinha, innovator with cerebral palsy

Get-hooked

"I asked for my khukri & cut off my leg"- My Take by Ian Cardozo, 1st war disabled Indian soldier to lead a battalion

Newz Hook Logo

About Newz Hook

Newz Hook | Disability News - media site focusing on Changing Attitudes towards Disability globally. We highlight disability news, offer solutions and create collaborations. Our focus is to have Inclusion Champions from across the globe who share knowledge about disability, inclusion & accessibility.
Lets come together to change attitudes towards disability!

Newz Hook is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Follow us on:

Related Links

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Partner with Newz Hook
  • Embed Newz Hook Timeline
  • Affiliate disclosure
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Contribute to Newz Hook

Our Awards

Zero Project Award Winner 2018
Back To Top
© 2019 All Right Reserved. Inclusive News India Private Limited.

Ask Bhavna

All fields are mandatory unless specified as optional.